Coach Bruce Hutchinson Passes Away

NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 28. A memorial service will be held Sunday, June 30, at 11 a.m. at Southern Connecticut State University's James W. Moore
Fieldhouse for Dr. Bruce Hutchinson, the founder of Owls' swim program and long-time coach, who died June 22 at Connecticut Hospice at the age of 68.

"Hutch," who spent 37 seasons as the Owls' men's swim coach after founding the program in 1960-61, guided his teams to 36 straight winning seasons before retiring in 1997. His teams had an overall won-lost record of 317 – 110 for a .742 winning percentage with two unbeaten seasons, in 1983-84 and 1984-85, and captured the 1985 New England championship.

He coached more that 100 All-America performers at Southern, with seven individual NCAA champions, and a majority of Connecticut's high school swim coaches are
among Hutchinson's Southern alumni.

On Feb. 7, 1997, the University honored Hutchinson by renaming its pool facility at Moore Fieldhouse the
"Bruce Hutchinson Natatorium" and he was inducted into Southern's Alumni Sports Hall of Fame in May of 1997.
Inducted into the Springfield College Hall of Fame in November of 1990, Hutchinson was a two-time All-America swimmer at Springfield and just missed
making the 1956 U.S. Olympic team.

He earned his M.S. degree from the University of Maryland and his D.P.E. from Springfield and was a professor emeritus of physical education at Southern.
Hutchinson, former chairman of the NCAA Division II swimming committee, was recognized as a "Distinguished Coach" by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, and earned a level five coaching certificate from the American Swimming Coaches Association.

He was awarded a Professional Achievement Certificate by the Connecticut Association of Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance at the National Convention in 1998.

Hutchinson was honored in 1996 by the Connecticut Sportswriters Alliance with a prestigious Gold Key award. A long-time Hamden resident who most recently resided in Colchester, Hutchinson is survived by his wife, Sharon; son, Kirk (Dori), of Sudbury, Mass., a two-time NCAA Division III champion in the 100-yard butterfly; daughter, Kimberly (John) Clarke, of Cheshire; and four grandchildren.

Contributions may be made to the Bruce Hutchinson Endowed Scholarship, SCSU Foundation, in care of the Director of Planned Gifts, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515.

— Eric Burns

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